There's just something unequivocally euphoric about grabbing your big coat (or not and baring the consequences) for a late night gig in Leeds. The buzz of watching up-and-coming artists perform in intimate venues and holding on to every lyric; the bounce of the crowd as you sing along to songs you've only ever heard in your earphones- there really is nothing quite like it.
Back for the first proper year since the pandemic, it seems that the music scene is alive this autumn with artists taking to various venues almost every night across the city.
It's been difficult to narrow down to our top ten nights out, but as ever, we've got all our favourite gigs, concerts, festivals and live events for you this month- and there's still tickets available to ALL the events.
Keep reading to find out our top ten for October 2022.
Machine Gun Kelly
Thursday 6 October 2022 | First Direct Arena, Arena Way
Image: First Direct Arena
The Mainstream Sellout tour is coming to Leeds this month and MGK promises a standout performance with non-stop hits from not just his own music, but some very special guests too. Avril Lavigne, Blackbear, iann dior, PVRIS, Travis Barker, Trippie Redd, WILLOW and 44phantom will all be making an appearance across the tour, though it hasn't been announced just yet which of these to expect in Leeds.
Tickets cost from £42.50 each and are still available on the First Direct Arena website.
Get tickets for Machine Gun Kelly at the First Direct Arena here.
Non Stop Styles Club Night
Saturday 8 October 2022 | HiFi Club, Central Road
Image: Skiddle
The ultimate student club night has arrived in Leeds for Styles fans. The Non Stop Styles night is, as the name suggests, all about championing the international star from Derbyshire that we all know and love. Taking us on a journey from the One Direction days to his most recent hits, the entire club night is dedicated entirely to Harry Styles tunes.
Tickets cost £5-£7 each and are available on the Skiddle website.
Get tickets for Non Stop Styles at HiFi Club here.
ABBA Disco Wonderland
Thursday 13 October 2022 | The Warehouse, Somers Street
Image: Skiddle
One of the biggest ABBA Tribute Club nights is coming back to Leeds, and it's the perfect opportunity for ABBA lovers to reunite under one roof. The ABBA Disco Wonderland has completed a full four years of sell out tours, and over this time have continued to bring the best of 70s and 80s to venues across the UK and beyond, so expect wild fancy dress, confetti canons, CO2 jets and more, all down to a tee.
Tickets cost £8.00 each plus a booking fee from Skiddle
Get tickets for ABBA Disco Wonderland at The Warehouse here.
Opera North presents Orpheus
Friday 14 October - Saturday 22 October 2022 | Grand Theatre, New Briggate
Opera North Orchestra Huddersfield
Orpheus will be a groundbreaking reimagining of one of the earliest surviving operas, Monteverdi’s 1607 work L’Orfeo. The production will open at the Leeds Grand Theatre this October before touring other northern theatres alongside Verdi’s La traviata, and concerts of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice.
Tickets cost from £10 for Under 30 members, then £25 - £80.50 for regular tickets.
Get tickets for Orpheus Live at the Grand Theatre here.
Live At Leeds: In The City Festival
Saturday 15 October 2022 | Various locations, Leeds
Image: Live at Leeds
150+ Artists. 14 Venues. 16 Stages. 1 Day. 1 Wristband. The festival has previously seen the likes of Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, The 1975, Lizzo, Sam Fender, Royal Blood, Sam Smith, Tom Grennan and many more take to the stage before going to become global successes, so those looking to find up-and-coming talent will be sure to find some independent names destined for cities far bigger than Leeds in the future. This year, expect to hear from Pale Waves, Sundara Karma, White Lies and some 150 more.
Tickets cost £39 each plus a booking fee, plus limited VIP tickets are available for an additional amount.
Find out more about Live At Leeds: In The City Festival here and get tickets here.
Bon Iver
Wednesday 19 October 2022 | First Direct Arena, Arena Way
Image: First Direct Arena
The American indie folk band will be bringing the soft melodic tunes back from 2007 to the present day to the First Direct Arena this month. Skinny Love singer Justin Vernon has been winning over the hearts of the UK for quite some time, and given there's five full albums and countless singles to choose from, this will be a standout performance from one of folk's most-loved bands.
Seated tickets are still available, costing from £30.55 each on the First Direct Arena website.
Get tickets for Bon Iver at the First Direct Arena here.
Alfie Templeman
Thursday 20 October 2022 | Leeds Beckett Student Union, Portland Building
Image: Facebook
Alfie Templeman, at just 19, produces music that's guaranteed to get everyone on their feet. Having made his debut back in 2016, the singer-songwriter has spent the past six years perfecting melodies that have seen the Mellow Moon singer shoot to stardom, landing an evening slot at The Leadmill Stage at Tramlines Festival earlier this year and joint headline tour with Thomas Headon across North America later this year.
Tickets cost £16 each from the Leeds Beckett Student Union website.
Get tickets for Alfie Templeman at Leeds Beckett SU here.
The Snuts
Saturday 22 October 2022 | O2 Academy, Millenium Square
Image: Live Nation
One of the indie bands circulating on all the Spotify playlists recently, The Snuts are a Scottish indie-rock four-piece with a lot to say about the world. Bringing Glasgow to Leeds this month, fans of Inhaler, Blossoms, Sundara Karma, Arctic Monkeys and The Amazons (you get the idea) are likely to find comfort in their soft rock tunes and wistful lyrics.
Tickets cost £27.25 each for unreserved seating and standing from Ticketmaster.
Get tickets for The Snuts at the O2 Academy Leeds here.
Sugababes
Sunday 23 October 2022 | O2 Academy Leeds, Millenium Square
Image: Festickets
The three piece British girl group is back. Having changed their lineup three times before returning to the original trio in 2011, the One Touch singers were a 00s staple, bringing us Push The Button, Round Round, Too Lost In You and far too many other floorfiller club classics. Having now been performing for over 20 years, the band are back and bringing a nostalgic performance to Leeds later this month.
Tickets cost £46.235 each for standing or £181.25 for the Meet and Greet AMEX Package.
Get tickets to see the Sugababes at the O2 Academy Leeds here.
Billy Idol
Tuesday 25 October 2022 | First Direct Arena, Arena Way
Image: Wikicommons
A performance that needs no introduction. Billy Idol will be bringing Television and Toyah Willcox to the First Direct Arena for a night of punk rock and heavy metal. The White Wedding singer will be taking Leeds down memory lane with best hits from the 80s that we all know and love, still forty years on.
Tickets cost from £55.15 each with only seated remaining on Ticketmaster.
Get tickets for Billy Idol at the First Direct Arena here.
Feature Image- Live At Leeds Festival
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Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena, Leeds – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
American rock band Kings of Leon are making their way to Leeds for a visit to First Direct Arena as part of their current EU/UK tour.
Formed in 1999 by brothers Caleb, Nathan, Jared, plus their cousin Matthew Followill, the rock band has gone on to achieve nine top 40 singles and six UK number one albums.
The rockers have two singles in Spotify’s Billions Club, including their standout hit ‘Sex on Fire’, which has amassed over 2 billion streams and ‘Use Somebody’ with 1.2 billion – two tracks that helped skyrocket them from cult favourites here in Britain to global superstars.
This four-piece’s latest LP, Can We Please Have Fun, dropped mid-2024 and knowing how energetic Northern crowds can be, it’s safe to say we’ve got this covered.
Last time they travelled over the pond, they let the Manchester crowd know the England score in real-time (read our full review).
Gig guide – Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena, Leeds
Kings of Leon UK tour dates
Fri 3 July – Glasgow, UK – Bellahouston Park
Sat 4 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 6 July – Leeds, UK – First Direct Bank Arena
Are there any tickets left for Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena?
If you’re wondering where you’ll ‘Find Me’ on Monday 6 July, it is probably watching these four relatives play their two decades’ worth of hits at First Direct Arena.
Don’t ‘Waste a Moment’ as there’s only a limited number of tickets left if you’re after catching a glimpse of Kings of Leon live – get yours HERE.
Kings of Leon are gearing up for their Leeds gig at First Direct this July (Credit: Press shot)
Kings of Leon setlist for 2026 UK tour
These American rockers have been performing all across Europe, switching up a couple of songs at each show; however, the hits below have featured at most of their appearances.
Slow Night, So Long
Waste a Moment
Find Me
On Call
Radioactive
The Bucket
Revelry
Manhattan
Use Somebody
Wait For M
Split Screen
Closer
Molly’s Chambers
Razz
MyParty
Supersoaker
Fans
Back Down South
Seen
Pyro
Black Thumbnail
To Space
Knocked Up
Sex on Fire
What are the stage times for Kings of Leon in Leeds?
Doors for Kings of Leon at First Direct Arena in Leeds are set to open at 6pm with a kick-off time of 7.30pm from a huge indie rock band.
Supporting the US rockers is a band who have received comparisons to Kings of Leon, the loud-and-proud Scottish stars The Snuts, known for their tracks like ‘Glasgow’, ‘Elephants’ and ‘Maybe California'.
Located on Dyer Street next to Leeds City Bus Station and approx. 15min walk from first direct arena and is wheelchair friendly.
Support and help for any persons with a disability is available as the station is a registered ‘Safe place’ to come into and ask for assistance.
Nearest Bus Stops
Clay Pit Lane
Wade Lane/Lovell Park Road
Woodhouse Lane
Nearest Train Station
Leeds City Station on New Station Street is around a 15min walk from first direct arena and a major hub on the national, regional and local rail network providing connections to a wide variety of destinations.
Parking
There are over 7,500 car parking spaces within a 15-minute walk of the arena. The arena doesn’t have it’s own car park however there are lots of options nearby. To receive 5% off Q Park when attending a show at first direct arena click here
The nearest Car Park with EV charging is located on Albion Street click here.
None of the above car parks are operated by the arena so for questions, queries or comments we ask that you contact the companies directly.
Hiring Bikes in Leeds
If you’re looking to hire a bike in Leeds, here are some of the best options you can try:
Beryl bikes – you’ll find the ‘Leeds City Bikes’ from Beryl stationed throughout the city. These are all e-bikes, and they’re available to hire on a pay-as-you-go basis. It costs £1 to unlock the bikes, and then 16p per minute to use them. We’d say these are great for zipping around the city and getting from A to B.
Talio – for a wider selection of electric bikes to choose from, Talio based at Buslinthorpe Green is a great option. From this company, you can hire cruiser bikes, mountain bikes, and cargo bikes. Prices start from £20 per day for rental, but if you’re hiring for a month or longer you’ll get a good discount.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied)/Raph_PH (Flickr/WikiCommons)/Audio North
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Pitbull at Roundhay Festival, Leeds – tickets, times, setlist and more
Thomas Melia
Megastar Pitbull is heading to Roundhay Park in Leeds for a headline festival performance where you're sure to be yelling "Timber".
Lots of Leeds music lovers might be flocking to Roundhay Park for an outdoor gig like no other because this one comes with 'Hotel Room Service' - not literally, but the Cuban-American star will probably deliver a rendition of this smash hit.
Amid this current heatwave, we might even be able to change the 'International Love' lyrics from "Hotter than Miami" to "Hotter than Roundhay".
Pitbull playing out to a crowd of bald caps at Co-op Live in Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group
Pitbull UK tour dates
Tue 30 June - Belfast, UK - Ormeau Park
Wed 1 July - Bellahouston Park, UK - Glasgow Summer Sessions
Fri 3 July - Leeds, UK - Roundhay Festival
Sat 4 July - Cardiff, UK - Blackweir Fields
Sun 5 July - Lancashire, UK - Lytham Festival
Are there any tickets left for Pitbull at Roundhay Park, Leeds?
If you're up for singing"I'm on fiiiiiire" with the lively leeds crowd and Pitbull himself you can find tickets for his Roundhay Festival headlining slot HERE.
Oh and did we mention you can 'Talk Dirty' with Jason Derulo and 'Snap Yo Fingers' when Lil Jon takes to the stage, all in one day? This festival is top class.
Pitbull setlist for UK festival tour
These upcoming dates from the phenomenal Floridian are part of the Pitbull: I'm Back! tour which has already stopped off at a variety of venues stateside.
Here's all the tracks you need to get memorising ahead of Mr. Worldwide's British summertime shows:
Don't Stop the Party
International Love
Hotel Room Service
I Feel Good
Suavemente
Shake/ Culo
I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)
On the Floor
I Like It
DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love
Feel This Moment
Gasolina
JUMPIN
Timber
Time of Our Lives
Fireball
Give Me Everything
What other artists are on the 3 July Roundhay Festival lineup?
Jason Derulo
Tinie Tempah
Lil Jon
Los Tucanes De Tijuana
Jazzie Martian
CJ. AllDayy
Dan Hills
DJ Flex
What are the stage times for Pitbull's headline Roundhay Festival?
Last entry for all shows is 8.30pm with box office closing slightly earlier at 8pm and any headliner expected to wrap up their set by 10.30pm.
Getting to Roundhay Park
Car
Just a 10 minute walk from Roundhay Festival's West Entrance is Connaught Fields which is the closest parking option.
Or, if you're up for a walk and want something more cost-effective, Fearnville Park and Stride is a 30 minute walk away, with parking spaces on the grass fields and a scenic country path which leads you to the festival.
Accessible parking can be found on Mansion Lane with a clear pathway to the event with spaces needing to be pre-booked when purchasing your ticket at no extra cost.
Bus/ coach
A dedicated shuttle bus service has been set up to and from Roundhay Festival running every 20 minutes from 11am to 8pm on Sovereign Street, just four minutes from Leeds Train Station.
The last shuttle bus from Roundhay Park back to the city centre will depart at 12.30am with clear signposting and stewards on hand for any gig goers.
Roundhay Festival has also partnered with Big Green Coach meaning concert attendees can hop on from a wide range of pick-up points across the UK from Wakefield all the way to Coventry - more info HERE.
Car/ taxi drop off
Vehicles heading to Roundhay Festival should follow marked signs for 'Pick-up/ Drop-Off points'.
Drivers should not attempt to pick-up or drop-off from any of the nearby roads aside from those already designated via signage: North Pick-up/ Drop-off via Park View Crescent | South Pick-up/ Dro-off via Wetherby Road.
Extra Info
All travel updates and road closures on event days will be announced and regularly checked HERE.
Sophie Smith -
3rd October 2022 
